Gov’t: Multisector Collaboration Important to Improve Nutrition and Reduce Stunting

Stunting Infographic (Source: Ministry of Health)

Minister of National Development Planning/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Suharso Monoarfa highlighted the importance of multisector collaboration in efforts to improve nutrition and reduce stunting in Indonesia.

“To reduce the stunting rate of children under five by 14% in 2024 as mandated by the 2020-2024 National Medium Term Development Plan (RPJMN), integrated stunting reduction acceleration interventions must be optimized,” Suharso said virtually at the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Annual Meeting 2020, Monday (14/12).

The Minister said that strengthening convergence efforts through the National Strategy for the Acceleration of Stunting Prevention has been going well and is expected to accelerate the achievement of this goal.

In line with Suharso, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy also underlined the importance of collaboration in efforts to accelerate nutrition improvement.

“Coordination should not only be carried out at the central level but also at the village level to ensure that the interventions given actually reach priority households,” Muhadjir said.

This further emphasizes the high commitment of the Government to improve nutrition in Indonesia which remains a priority amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The large-Scale Social Restriction (PSBB) scheme implemented during the pandemic has decreased people’s purchasing power and disrupted the food supply chain. However, interventions to reduce stunting must continue to be optimized in order to meet the target as scheduled.

“Right now, we are racing against time to prepare quality and competitive human resources in order to answer the demographic bonus opportunities in the future. For that, we need to join hands and work together in finding evidence-based innovations in an effort to accelerate the improvement of community nutrition,” Suharso said.

For the record, Indonesia has been part of the SUN Movement, a global movement under the coordination of the Secretary General of the United Nations which was formed in response to the conditions of food and nutritional status in developing countries, since 2011. (PR of BAPPENAS/UN) (FI/LW)